Artist Profile: Kid Cudi

Kid Cudi is a Brooklyn-based rapper from Cleveland whose personal lyrical angles, innovative perspectives on production, and genre combination made him one of the most influential talents of his time. Cudi quickly ascended from online buzz in the late 2000s to a signing with Kanye West’s GOOD Music label. Eventually leading to the selling of millions and winning Grammys while changing the landscape of hip-hop. With Kid Cudi’s unique vocal style and dreamy, narcotic instrumentals it was only a matter of time before he hit top charts, but he experimented constantly. In 2018 Kanye collaboration Kids See Ghosts crackling with a chaotic rawness while 2020’s Man on the Moon III: The Chosen was made up of neatly polished cosmic trap songs.

Kid Cudi was born Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi in Cleveland, Ohio, on January 30, 1984. He grew up in a middle-class household and was the youngest of the four children in the family. His mother, Elsie Harriet, worked as a middle-school teacher, and his father, Lindberg Styles Mescudi, was a house painter and a war veteran. Cudi had a difficult childhood as his parents fought over petty issues. His father died of cancer when Kid was 11 years old. This had a serious impact on his psyche, but music turned out to be an effective savior. However, the death of his father plunged him into depression.

Cudi attended Shaker Heights High School and was then transferred to Solon High School. While he was fairly disciplined in the initial years, he turned into an aggressive person as he approached his senior years. He started getting into fights and was expelled from school for threatening to punch the principal. However, he managed to join the University of Toledo as a film student, though he dropped out after a year.

While he loved music, he was not very keen on making a career out of it and desired to be a filmmaker. His fractured police record prevented him from joining the navy. After trying out a few odd jobs, he decided he would experiment in the rap industry. In 2008, he released his first single, Day ‘n’ Nite, followed by the mixtape A Kid Named Cudi, which grabbed the attention of Kanye West. Kanye was looking for some inspiration for his next album, and he was mesmerized by Cudi’s emotional approach towards music. After the remixed version of “Day ‘n’ Nite” climbed the U.K. singles charts, Cudi released his conceptual debut album, Man on the Moon: The End of Day, in the summer of 2009. A year later he returned with a sequel, Man on the Moon, Vol. 2: The Legend of Mr. Rager. In 2012, he teamed with “Day ‘n’ Nite” producer Dot Da Genius and introduced their rock-rap band, WZRD. A year after that, Indicud arrived and included contributions from soft rock sisters HAIM and former Fleet Foxes drummer Father John Misty alongside rappers A$AP Rocky and Kendrick Lamar. 

Unfortunately, despite Kid Cudi’s impressive rise to fame, he had some underlying issues, Cudi talked to nme.com saying he used to take cocaine alone and hid the habit from friends. “It was a very private thing,” he said. “I was dealing with my shit alone. I never did drugs around a bunch of people.” He continued: “I really went out my way to keep what I was going through hidden because I was ashamed. I think that’s why I quit the first time because I got arrested then everybody knew about it. But I didn’t quit for the right reasons. I didn’t quit because it wasn’t good for me.” Although Cudi is now twp years sober, he admits that it is still a struggle. 

Kid Cudi is not only a talented rapper but an inspiration to those struggling with mental health. After fellow rapper, Drake, mocked Cudi for his depression and mental health issues, Cudi became the face of mental health awareness and once again the youthful face of a generation. A breakout hit from the group’s debut album is “Reborn” where Cudi praises the mental health professionals who helped him and how he is “reborn, movin’ forward” and no longer has stress. He shows that if you seek help for yourself, you are strong and that is the first step in being reborn.